Are you gonna march on wednesday 22nd October?

Crash

For anyone who was there - were there any signs of SWP and all that lot? Hoping that the message has finally gotten through to them that they can't just come along and try to put their crappy philosophy on marches - they've been doing it for years.

Awayindahils

Peslo wrote: »

We actually got a complement off one of the more senior RTÉ correspondant's saying something to the effect of "if the students couldn't put on a decent rally about this, you'd be disappointed in the youth of the nation"

Felt kinda chuffed...

I'm not entirely sure that that is a complement. At least not when put like that at least. More that if it wasn't decent it would have been shockingly awful that students are so apathetic, but as it went so well, "ah sure, what else would you expect really."

Peslo

It is. In the context that he said it in and they were talking about the large angry protest at hand.

Kurtosis

Going Forward wrote: »

For anyone who was there - were there any signs of SWP and all that lot? Hoping that the message has finally gotten through to them that they can't just come along and try to put their crappy philosophy on marches - they've been doing it for years.

I believe I was handed one of their leaflets in Front Square. I read the headline at the top which said something along the lines of "We need to establish a mass, militant protest...".

It was at the word militant that I stopped reading and threw the leaflet in the bin. Waste of paper...

Jonathan

Peslo wrote: »

It is. In the context that he said it in and they were talking about the large angry protest at hand.

Do you really think that a big angry mob can achieve anything?

manicmonoliths

Peslo wrote: »

What is the protest about? fees again?

Yeah Minister O'Keefe said something about announcing a decision on third level fees when a working group reaches a decision sometime in February so I'm assuming our next protest is meant to coincide with that.

Peslo

jmccrohan wrote: »

Do you really think that a big angry mob can achieve anything?

What does it matter what I think. It's over now anyways.
And how about you ask the same question to the old timers who were out protesting before us today. They're the same guys who marched for civil rights in the 60's and for tax reform in the 80's. Why don't you see what they think.

Brian

Quick, crash/GF, Alzheimer joke!

PurpleFistMixer

penguin88 wrote: »

I believe I was handed one of their leaflets in Front Square. I read the headline at the top which said something along the lines of "We need to establish a mass, militant protest...".

It was at the word militant that I stopped reading and threw the leaflet in the bin. Waste of paper...

That's interesting. The headline on the SWP leaflets was "Education is a Right, not a Privilege". Maybe you had some other leaflet?

To answer Going Forward's question: Yes. They were there. Not many from TCD though.

And yeah, as far as students organising protests goes... I know we're meant to be lazy alcoholic slackers etc., but aren't students... usually the most active as far as protesting and giving out and whatnot?

Jonathan

Baza210 wrote: »

Quick, crash/GF, Alzheimer joke!

heh heh :pac:

Crash

PurpleFistMixer wrote:

And yeah, as far as students organising protests goes... I know we're meant to be lazy alcoholic slackers etc., but aren't students... usually the most active as far as protesting and giving out and whatnot?

not really. In fact the only one that ever stirs up a good protest is fees. Anything else is pretty much ignored. Oh yeah the nurses and teachers get out whenever something directly affects their course, but generally these days student activism is quite poor. As I said on a thread in AH, most students just want to do their course, get their degree, get a job, get on with their lives. Go out and get pissed in the middle. Which isn't a bad course of action tbh. :P

Crash

Baza210 wrote: »

Quick, crash/GF, Alzheimer joke!

To be honest, I'm surprised people weren't put off protesting over fees by the lingering smell of peat outside the dail from earlier

Kurtosis

PurpleFistMixer wrote: »

That's interesting. The headline on the SWP leaflets was "Education is a Right, not a Privilege". Maybe you had some other leaflet?

Sorry, could have been a different leaflet, possibly from the Socialist Worker Student Society. It was a5 size I think (bigger than a normal leaflet) and I think it was actually the first line under the headline in bold that I was referring to above.

ilovemybrick

Going Forward wrote: »

For anyone who was there - were there any signs of SWP and all that lot? Hoping that the message has finally gotten through to them that they can't just come along and try to put their crappy philosophy on marches - they've been doing it for years.

One of my favourite moments of the march was when someone reached over to one one of the twerps handing these leaflets out and took the stack from him and threw them to the wind.

In other news I was on three different TV channels today.

Crash

Yeah I saw yourself on RTE this evening - was quite funny playing "spot the people I know" in that crowd

EGaffney

My learning was significantly disrupted by the party outside where my lecture was. It was called a protest, but it had no clear aim and sounded much more like young people enjoying themselves (while disrupting traffic).

Unlike the party people, I actually DO pay fees. I am confident that 90% of them do not.

Crash

Picture of the day:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=57665765&postcount=11

PurpleFistMixer

penguin88 wrote: »

Sorry, could have been a different leaflet, possibly from the Socialist Worker Student Society. It was a5 size I think (bigger than a normal leaflet) and I think it was actually the first line under the headline in bold that I was referring to above.

Just a point - the SWSS is the student society version of the SWP. They were giving out 2 leaflets - one a5 blue one about a "What is Socialism?" talk on today, and another, A4 white one which was related to the reintroduction of fees. The Workers Solidarity Movement, which I think are linked to the Anarchists Society were also giving out white A5 leaflets.
EDIT: Mystery solved - it was the plain Socialist party. Pix.

EGaffney - I fail to see how the majority of students in this country not paying fees invalidates their protest against the introduction of fees... in any way, shape or form.

Tricity Bendix

The students were totally out-flanked and out-manoevered by the pensioners. In time to come, people will only remember the angry old folk. The media attention is all on them. Not only that, but the government actually cared enough that they did a u-turn. Unless students come out and vote against Fianna Fail and the Greens, and until they do so in sufficient number, it will all be just hot air.

Brian

When's our chance to vote though?

Ron DMC

Don't drag the greens into this. They've introduced a fantastic cycle to work scheme.

http://www.budget.gov.ie/2009/budgetsummary09.html#_Toc211585082 wrote:

Cycle to work scheme
From 1 January 2009, the provision of bicycles and associated safety equipment by employers to employees who agree to use the bicycles to cycle to work will be treated as a tax exempt benefit-in-kind. The exemption may only apply once in any five year period in respect of any employee. There will be a limit on the value of such purchases of €1,000 for each employee. The scheme may also be implemented via salary sacrifice arrangements, whereby an employee agrees to forego part of his/her salary to cover the costs associated with the purchase of the bicycle and associated safety equipment. Where such salary sacrifice arrangements are implemented, they must be completed over a maximum period of twelve months.

The estimated cost of this scheme is €0.2 million in 2009 and €0.4 million in a full year.

Unfortunately I've only recently purchased a new bicycle so it's not actaully all that useful.

Tricity Bendix

Baza210 wrote: »

When's our chance to vote though?

The next local elections are in 2009, I think. And I know its not really fair to vote in a local election on the basis of a national issue, but pressure from FF councillors helped reverse the government decision on medical cards, so they have become fair game.

EGaffney

@b.ie: Good point, but the difference is still that students tend to vote for "silly parties" (i.e. ideological ones) rather than "sensible parties", i.e. Fianna Fáil.

Pensioners have a credible threat up their sleeve, because they do tend to vote for Fianna Fáil. Students lack a credible threat, because they do not. It would be interesting to know how many Fianna Fáil voters were in the march.

EGaffney - I fail to see how the majority of students in this country not paying fees invalidates their protest against the introduction of fees... in any way, shape or form.

It looks bad for the so-called "student movement" to go on a march about something that isn't actually happening, when the rest of the country is suffering actual negative effects from the recession and the budget. I don't mean it is irrelevant in any philosophical sense, but even after yesterday's party, students will still be about #10 on the government's priority list of special interest groups, after the builders and the new entrants, old people.

PurpleFistMixer

EGaffney wrote: »

It looks bad for the so-called "student movement" to go on a march about something that isn't actually happening, when the rest of the country is suffering actual negative effects from the recession and the budget. I don't mean it is irrelevant in any philosophical sense, but even after yesterday's party, students will still be about #10 on the government's priority list of special interest groups, after the builders and the new entrants, old people.

Interestingly enough, I've read at least one news source that seems to believe the march was in protest of the change to the registration fee cap, which while I don't believe it was the main aim of the march, is still an issue posed to students, and is something that's come from the budget.

Though... you say something that isn't actually happening. Do you mean to suggest that the government isn't in fact considering introducing fees?

Ron DMC

PurpleFistMixer wrote: »

Do you mean to suggest that the government isn't in fact considering introducing fees?

Not in the short term they're not? Which is why it's not that pressing an issue just at the minute.

EGaffney

PurpleFistMixer wrote: »

Though... you say something that isn't actually happening. Do you mean to suggest that the government isn't in fact considering introducing fees?

No. I'm saying I think it looks pathetic to complain about the decision-making process about the size of student subsidies, when people in the real economy are facing actual, tangible hardship, right here, right now.

I also think if the march was scheduled for today, hardly anyone would have cared enough to go out in that weather. Because as has been made clear, few had a concrete idea of what they were actually marching about.

spinaltap

Great to see Ireland standing up for a change.
Great to see people wont take this lying down, have a look at MODEDIT: this isn't the place for pimping your new forum for pissed off people who want to take action

Cokehead Mother

lol, it's pretty cute.

Jonathan

spinaltap wrote: »

Great to see Ireland standing up for a change.
Great to see people wont take this lying down, have a look at this new forum for pissed off people who want to take action

Sounds great.. :rolleyes:

The newest registered user is UPDAIRA.****DAGOVT

Crash

...Bastard stole my nick.